I wasn’t feeling the love back home in America upon my return from Guatemala as we dove into Easter week. Even though I had a warm welcome on that Sunday, April 5, I ended up in disastrous condition as I returned the next day. Ashleigh had decided to stay out late and phoned home at about 1:30am that night with a dead car battery on her car. After she was retrieved by Christi and all was said and done, I only slept for about 90 minutes.
Then the next night another phone call woke me up yet again in the middle of the night so not much sleep there either. Eventually I got back on schedule and back into the American groove. As penance for her misdeeds, Ashleigh (with Christi’s help) finally took down the Christmas tree on Tuesday that week.
My sister Denise’s 33rd birthday fell on Wednesday, April 8, that week, but we didn’t get together until Friday the 10th when she and Aaron and the kids made a trip from Columbus to Dayton. We all had a nice dinner at The Golden Dragon Chinese buffet in Franklin. I gave her a Kohl’s gift certificate as a gift. It was a nice evening with the standard crummy but delicious fare from the Dragon. Mom and Bob were present as well, naturally. The little ones were as good as gold.
Adam, his Ty duck, and scads of Chinese food and grapes
A rare great picture of Adam and Denise, naturally in the setting of a Chinese restaurant
Megan and me. She’s getting cuter and cuter…and fuzzy headed
Bob tells Megan about Mopars. She tells him about di-pars.
The birthday gal and me, with our duck and spoon
Mom and Megan. Geez, that kid gets around
Megan discovering her hands
Heidi stopped by that night after I got home to tell me welcome home. She couldn’t stay too long as she had to work bright and early, but I did manage to force her to watch a couple of episodes of All in the Family, the sitcom at which I continue to plug away.
Saturday the 11th was another fun and busy day. My old friend from Woodland Altars, Dorinda Dohner, headed into town from her home in Indiana and we were able to meet up for an impromptu reunion that afternoon. Despite a few slightly alarming calls from work while I attempted to eat a cheeseburger and visit with Dorinda, I had a nice afternoon. Further details of the reunion can be found here.
That night I attended the Belmont Class of 1992 reunion with my friend Jennifer Young at The Pub at the Greene in Beavercreek. She had been a bit leary about attending so I asked if it might help her out if I went along. After all, I am one of the true kings at ragging on people when necessary if she began feeling (unjustifiably) inferior to any of the former classmates!
We met before the reunion at the Cheesecake Factory for a glass of wine. Jennifer had tanned in preparation of the event, and was looking rather fit and incredibly dark – kind of like a movie star, or as her mother told her, Donatella Versace.
Me and Jennifer at the Cheesecake Factory. Am I really that white?
The reunion itself was perfectly fine, and actually quite fun. Two of the gals present, I later found out, were the nieces of my boss Sue. Always such a small world. Everyone seemed pretty nice (even though one guy, who was still mistaking this for high school, attempted to start a fight withanother former classmate), so I had little reason to belittle anyone. Well, for the most part anyway. I was rewarded for my attendance with my newfound love Strongbow Cider and some great breaded calamari and goat cheese once the alcohol had induced strong pangs of hunger in Jen and me.
Jennifer’s old friend Erica provides some fascinating entertainment for the evening
I seem skeptical about whatever Jen is laughing at
On Sunday, April 12, we celebrated our traditional Murphy family Easter, again at Diana and Tom’s house. I really enjoyed this event this year. Naturally we were all in good company and had some of the traditional Easter fixins (and some not so tradtional) like: ham, turkey, spaghetti casserole, deviled eggs, oriental salad, pretzel crackers, cheese, salami, potato casserole, jello salad, poppyseed cake, pecan pie (my contribution), and Karen’s bunny cake. Sammy particularly enjoyed coming by the bunny cake and scraping off the icing and eating it.
Megan’s amazingly cute Easter laugh
She discovers the ‘funny’ uncle
Karen feeds Allie while Brittney does nothing to assist
Lauren, Jacob, and me after having cleaned our plates
Andrew and Abby seem amazingly cooperative and well-behaved while sharing a chair and eating their food. Has Karen hypnotized them?
Grandpa Murphy and Darlene enjoy Easter nibblins (I just made up that word)
Diana and Tom, our Easter afternoon hosts
Yaht and her new cousin Megan
Another nice photo of Denise and Adam. They’re on a roll.
In attendance this Easter were Grandpa Murphy, Diana & Tom, Cathy, Lori with Abbey and Elise, Debby & Mike, Dan and Tori, Mom & Bob, Ashleigh and me, Denise & Aaron with Adam and Megan, Bev, Susan & Charles with Charley and Sammy, Karen & Joe with Andrew, Abby, and Allie, Jim & Jan, Ben, Nikki, and Eric, Jan’s sister Debbie and her husband Jim, Jan’s Mom Lois, Darlene, Brittney & Doug with his friend Bruce, Jacob & Lauren, and last and lewdly least, Zac.
Karen successfully makes Allie laugh by tossing her in the air
Susan and Bev with Sammy and Charley
The Backyardigans: Tori, Abbey, Abby, Elise, and Andrew
For a split second, Debby was able to get Megan to stop crying
Cute Easter decor courtesy of Abbey and Elise
Publicity shot for the New Adventures of the Bob and Tom Show. In the next episode, Tom shrinks and Bob turns into a ventriloquist dummy
Most notably fun – and making its welcome return – was the once-traditional Easter egg hunt. In recent years, this had become relegated to just the little kids but for many years, every family member had a colored hard-boiled egg with their name on it to find. After many years of egg-huntin’ silence, this year it was back!
I found my egg in the dining room behind a decorative plant on the floor. I only got one clue handed to me: which room it was in. Ashleigh’s was hidden so simply on the fireplace mantle in public view, that I was forced to make it a bit harder and put it behind a picture on the mantle at least. You be the judge in determining if this would have presented her with the necessary challenge.
Yeah, she’d never find this…
Easter was great this year and came amidst a great weekend. It made up for the rough start at the beginning of the week. In fact, this was my first weekend home since before Chicago and would be my last until after New York! No rest for the wicked…
2009 will continue in New York…
I’ve been anxiously waiting to see your Easter pictures and read your captions. Once again, you didn’t let me down. Megan and Allie are such great additions to our family events. They are both so adorable and the cutest babies ever. All the next generation of kids have really brought back the fun and games in the family get togethers just like the days your generation had done. You captured some really great shots. Wish Ed, Chris and Sarah could have been there, but hopefully next year they will be. (plus another new baby).
You are so good with Adam and Megan! They both really enjoy being with you and Megan’s smile really proves that in the picture of you and her.
Brittney may have been doing nothing to assist Karen feeding Allie, but Brittney is definitely great with kids. She really is fantastic with Charley and Sammy and that takes a person who has a lot of love and patience and understanding; and she has it!
And as far as my beautiful angels Andrew and Abby sitting together nicely and eating their lunch, don’t forget they were sitting next to me (Grandma) and they love to behave when they are with grandma. They know good things will come their way.
Thanks for the Easter posting!
Bev
April 29th, 2009
I was so glad you went to the reunion with me that evening. I had such angst about the whole thing but had no idea why. As usual, the time spent was stuffed full of laughs along with an ample amount of making fun of others. Something we both enjoy far too much! I really had a great time, got to figure out that goat cheese dip for the next get together.
Not as fond as I should be of the second photo. I look like the redhead vampire at the end of the movie Fright Night.
Jennifer
May 2nd, 2009
I can’t believe I spent my free evening watching All in the Family.
Heidi
May 6th, 2009